Disclaimer: Transformers: Animated and everything related belongs to the rightful company Hasbro. I am in no way shape or form making money off this.
Author's Notes: When Grimlock's heat hits, his coding demands he claim his chosen mate before its too late. But he doesn't want to hurt Bumblebee, not like that. Things become even more complicated when another Dinobot appears, and he intends on making the lieutenant his mate whether he wants it or not.
Title: Primitive Claim
Pairing: GrimlockxBumblebee (RID)
Request: KittyKatShMeow (AO3)
"G-Grim… what are you—whoa! Wait, waitaklick! Grimlock!" He always liked hearing him say his designation, even when he was getting after him for a simple little mistake; he would never get tired of listening to him. The Dinobot moved in closer, catching the servos in his own. He pushed the other mech back, ignoring the way he tried to push against him until he had him pinned to the rocky wall with his greater mass. He growled lowly as he stared down at the other mech, his primitive code demanding him to state his claim now. He had earned it! But he couldn't…
He should have known. He should have kept better track of it. He should have noticed the signs before it was too late. He should have said something! But that's the problem, isn't it? A lot of bots didn't consider Dinobots to be real Cybertroniums for a number of stupid reasons, so he didn't expect the others to notice. But, maybe if they had noticed… if only he had said something the moment he onlined earlier that cycle…
~Over a solar cycle ago…~
The day had started off normal but the moment a certain Dinobot booted up from recharge, something felt-off. Grimlock frowned at he looked at some warnings and readings coming up on his HUD, but they weren't making a lot of sense. A program was attempting to activate, but when he tried to get more detail about it, he was met with errors. But since everything still felt normal, he dismissed them.
"Huh. My temperature's reading higher than usual," the former Decepticon said to himself when he noticed the gauge but like the errors, he dismissed that as well. Those should have at least warned him about what was to come, but the green and black mech wasn't known for thinking much.
For the rest of the cycle things seemed to go about as usual which meant the large dinosaur-based Autobot was either creating new "sculptures" with items Denny said he could use, or he was watching Strongarm and Sideswipe having their regular spar/fight as a way to pass the time. If Drift and his minicons were around, he'd be watching them train but for some reason his attention seemed to focused on Bumblebee, their team leader. And so far, one of the very few bots that didn't treat him any different as anybot else, and he didn't hold it against him that he wasn't a "typical" Transformer. Now though, he was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He wanted to be around him, to always have him in his sight, but he also had to resist the urge to growl whenever someone got too close.
"Anything to report, Fixit?" Bumblebee asked.
"No, sir. So far everything appears farm-palm-CALM!" the minicon shouts after giving himself a good whack on his chassis.
"Maybe we caught them all?" Grimlock offered a bit hopefully.
"Wouldn't that be nice, but I don't think so." Venting deeply, the lieutenant let his processor run for a bit before relaxing his upper stabilizers from his chassis. "Alert me in case anything chances, Fixit."
"Will do!" came the cheerful response.
Usually, everybot went their own separate way when they had some downtime like this, but the Dinobot found himself following the yellow sportscar. The mech in question didn't stop him, and actually seemed pleased when he went over to the area where they kept their supplies. "You don't have to help me with this, Grimlock. But I appreciate the company," Bumblebee said as he compared their items with his datapad.
"W-Well, you always say we need to be prepared," he responded with a slight flush on his faceplates. He couldn't remember the last time he blushed, yet here he was, doing what Sideswipe called one of the most boringest of boring jobs ever! He thought it was pretty fun and he got to show off how much he could lift when Bee asked him to move something. The two worked silently, making sure everything was accounted for, double checking their pile of energon cubes, even making sure the stasis pods were in working order before realizing they were done.
"Wow, I think we finished in record time," Bumblebee said with a small smile.
"So, we beat the record? Woooohoooo! Go Team Grimbee!" he cheered loudly, flushing when he heard the other mech laugh. He couldn't help but stare at him, thinking how pretty he looked and the way his doorwings did the fluttering thing when he was in a good mood.
Bumblebee calmed his laughter but slightly tilted his helm to the side. "Shanix for your processor?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"Well, I've noticed you're been staring at me more than usual. I thought maybe I had something on me, but you'd be one of the first bots to tell me." Servos came up and rested on his pelvic plating, shifting his weight ever so slightly in the process. "Wanna tell me what you're thinking about?"
"Um, w-well, I was thinking… um…" He may not be the smartest bot around, but he knew he had to say something! "I was thinking… about your doorwings."
One of the wings twitched, the other dropping then flared out slightly. "My doorwings?"
"Yeah! I mean, they react to how you're feeling. Like, right now I can tell you're confused," the former Decepticon said as he pointed to the appendages.
Bumblebee blinked but looking over his shoulder to see they had shifted. "Oh, I guess they do." Looking at the green and black mech, he nodded to him. "So, what did they look like earlier?"
"Earlier… they were fluttering, so I guess you were happy. Talking to Fixit, they were really tense but folded back, like you're ready to move or something." Grimlock paused, giving him a thoughtful look before speaking up. "I-I like it better when they're twitching. Means you're happy, and I like seeing you happy."
"Grim…" There was a warm feeling developing in the Autobot's spark, but before he could say anything the emergency alarm blared across the scrapyard.
"Lieutenant! Systems are showing another si-si-si-si-KLANG-signal! Please report to the command center!"
"We're on our way." Catching the other mech's optics, they immediately raced to where the minicon was situated, joined by the other members of their team. "Is it another prisoner from the Alchemor?"
"Uncertain. The only thing I'm getting is its Decepticon signal." Clicking on the keys pulled up a digital map of the surrounding area. "He's not near any human settlements, but I don't think he knows where he's going, either."
"So, what, he's lost?" Sideswipe asked with a slightly puzzled look.
"It would appear that way."
"Regardless, we need to capture him before he decides to wonder into a camp or someone's home. Fixit, when Denny and Russel come back have them ready just in case we need their help," Bumblebee ordered.
"Yes, sir-sir-sir!" Another hard quick and the minicon was back to normal.
"It looks like the 'Con is in the woods, we should be able to reach it." But before he could give the order to roll out Grimlock stepped in front of the yellow bot.
"Let me go with you Bee! There's no humans around, no one will see me!" he begged, feeling a strong need to stay with this bot.
"I know, but we can't take that chance. You'll be our back up." He hated seeing the defeated look in his optics, but Bumblebee forced himself to look away as he gave the order. "Let's transform and roll out!" Plating shifted, gears turned, and four different vehicles raced out of the scrap yard, heading straight for the woods.
"Don't worry, Grimlock. Bee and the others will be alright. I'm sure of it," Fixit commented but the Dinobot wasn't listening, staring intently in the direction everyone had taken off in.
The woods were quiet save for the sound of 4 different engines cutting through the air, tires following the dirt road. So far, they had seen no sign of the Decepticon, but they were forced to a stop when they nearly ran into a tree that was laying in the middle of the road. They all transformed and took a closer look at the situation.
Drift moved closer, looking for the tiniest detail. "This happened recently," he explained and followed what looked like a trail of broken trees in a similar state. "It appears our opponent is leaving us a rather obvious trail."
"That may be, but we need to be careful. We still don't know what we're up against." Following the trail, the group headed off but it wasn't long before they came to a small clearing only to find no other trail. "Scrap. Looks like our trail ends here." He looked around and frowned. "Let's split up, we can cover more ground that way."
"Sir, is that wise?" Strongarm asked in concern. "You said so yourself, we don't know what we're up against."
"I know, but we'll draw more attention as a group. Optics open everybot, and comm for anything." Agreeing, the four split up. For such big bots, Bumblebee knew how to be light on his peds. It came from millions of years of war, learning to be stealthy. Also helped that he had spent some time here on Earth so he knew he had to be extra careful. So far, he wasn't finding anything, but when he was ready to ask about the conditions of everyone else a glint of metal caught his optic. Frowning, he moved over and found a damaged stasis pod.
'Now we know where he landed, but why did it take so long for us to find him?' Moving closer, Bumblebee began examining it and found that the location beacon on it had been damaged, possibly when it landed, but it also looked like the systems that control cryo-stasis had been frayed. He took several image captures of them to be reviewed later. Peering inside the pod, he saw there were claw marks as though whatever had been inside, was desperate to be let out. He also noted a strange scent, a mix of oil and something else. He dismissed the command to activate his internal fans but he did seal off his olfactory sensors as he lifted his servo to touch his comm. "This is Bumblebee. I found the stasis pod but it looks like the 'Con broke out on his own," he explained as he pulled out of the pod. "I noticed something strange about it, but does anybot have any optics on our escaped prisoner?"
"Nothing so far, sir."
"Nope. Just trees, and more trees."
"My students and I have noticed some tracks. We are in the process of following them as we speak."
"What? Drift, don't! We don't know what he could be! Drift?!" The comm wasn't going through and it was enough to make to Autobot curse. "Everybot! Converge on Drift's location!"
"On my way!" "Right!" The soldier-turned-civilian didn't hesitate as he ran to where the bounty hunter's signal last registered, grasping his Decepticon hunter tightly in his servo. One would think having seen first-servo what war was like would prepare a mech for anything, but Bee was learning the hard way that nothing is ever that easy and to always expect the unexpected. It felt like it took too long for him to arrive, but when he did he was able to get a good look at the Decepticon.
It was a Dinobot, similar model like Grimlock but not completely; the plating was deep black with dark gold stripes along its back plates, with smaller spines from the back of the helm to near the end of the tail, and gleaming red optics. He couldn't tell if this dino was bigger with the way it seemed to hunch over, but unlike the one he knew this one had longer upper stabilizers with very sharp claws. It snarled and lashed out with its long, dexterous tail like a whip, slamming it into the two buzzsaw minicons, sending them into several trees.
"Students!" the bounty hunter called out, worry/concern evident but before the 'Con could turn on him, Bumblebee lunged out of the tree line and used his transformed Decepticon Hunter to strike the other Dinobot in the side of his helm. Snarling angrily, the mech staggered back, catching himself before he could hit the ground.
"Don't come any closer!" the Autobot commanded, standing between his friends and this new bot. "How are they, Drift?"
The honor-bound mech said nothing, checking the minicons for any serious damages but they were fine, if slightly disorientated. "They will be alright," he commented but it was clear that he had been worried for their safety.
"Good." Turning back to the other bot he frowned at him. "Freeze and put your servos up, Decepticon," he ordered, even as he sent an emergency ping to Fixit.
There was a low growl but the spinals seemed to twitch as the Dinobot slowly stood up. Plating folded back, frame twisting it transformed, revealing a rather handsome mech, almost as tall as Grimlock but slender, holding himself in a way that spoke of self-assurance and confidence. "Why, would you assume I would blindly follow a mech who decides to cause chaos in order to induce change?" the mysterious bot asked with a low growl, revealing no insignia, clawed through or otherwise.
"If that's so, why are you attacking my team mates?" Bee demanded.
He shrugged his shoulder pauldrons nonchalantly. "Self-defense."
"Lies!" Drift yelled, getting to his peds he made to rush at the other mech but Bumblebee held his servo out, stopping him from advancing. "You came after us first!"
"Drift, calm down." Bumblebee knew the other mech didn't lie, but the fact was this bot was an escaped prisoner, and he did witness him attacking his teammates. "You're still an escaped prisoner, and we're going to take you in whether you like it or not."
There was a low growl as the new dinobot frowned, narrowing his optics at them. "I refuse to be caged like a beast," he growled lowly as he held his servo (which was actually the helm of his alt mode), echoing his warning growl; "and I dare you to try." He didn't have to wait long as Drift charged at him with both swords, fully intending to make him pay for harming his students.
"Drift!" Cursing, the lieutenant could only follow him, holding his Decepticon Hunter. The mech didn't seem to have nearly the same mass as Grimlock, but he moved faster than the other Dinobot, with the same strength and ferocity. Bee was taken back when he swung only to have the jaws clamp down on his weapon and then swiftly pulled forward as a fist struck him hard in his abdominal plating. All the air rushed out of his systems and he collapsed on the ground, struggling to vent.
"Lieutenant!" Drift charged forward but was dodging what looked like a whip. Despite the rage clouding his judgement, his swords were a blur. Unfortunately, the other mech either blocked or tried striking him back, meaning he was clearly much more skilled than the other Decepticons they had fought previously, but now was not the time to admire his skills. Driving him back from the lieutenant, he jumped towards him, bringing his swords down but even as they were blocked the other mech had no chance to attack him now. "You have lost. Surrender, now," he ordered, trying to force him to submit.
"Lost? Maybe, but you'll lose much more than me," he smirked. With his upper stabilizers crossed, the dino helm opened its jaws, and released several small missiles which flew right where the two minicons were regaining their senses, optics wide as they realized they could never escape. The explosion was so loud, the very ground seemed to shake. The samurai froze, his own optics wide, refusing to accept that his students were gone. He never saw the blow coming until it was too late, optics glitching even as he fell to the ground, knocked out.
Bumblebee had just managed to get to his peds, still struggling to vent, but he barely had a chance to see the downed form of Drift before a strong set of razor-sharp denta roughly gripped him by the front of vocal cables and pulled him up to be at optic level with the other mech, leaving his peds dangling. Bee clutched at the jaws but he was just holding on, unable to do pretty much anything.
"Listen closely, I do hate repeating myself," the mech growled lowly. "Was I prisoner aboard the Alchemor? Yes. Am I a Decepticon? Frag no. Did I attack your comrades? Yes and no."
"What, does that, m-mean?" he asked hoarsely; one wrong move and the main energon cable could be cut and he would be grayed out in mere kliks.
"Let's say that you Cybertroniums are lucky to have evolved so far, while we have not." Before the injured Autobot could ask what he meant by that, the Dinobot paused and took a deep invent of the air. In fact, he continued sniffing the air, his optics growing darker as he leaned in, bringing his captive closer. "… you smell—divine."
"W-What?" Okay, things were officially going right off the tracks! But Bee was even more surprised when the other mech let him down and released him. He didn't even think about going for his Decepticon Hunter as he slowly took a few steps back, looking at the mech who was focused solely on him. When Bee looked at where Drift lay, the Dinobot growled loudly, forcing the Autobot to turn his attention back to the escaped prisoner.
"Don't look away! He, does not matter."
"… why are you doing this?"
"I'll make you a deal; you try to elude me for, say, the remainder of this planet's solar cycle, and I will surrender and answer all those questions I'm sure you have running around in that pretty helm of yours," he explained with a smirk. "I'll even give you a head start."
"… you're glitched."
"No, I'm a Dinobot." Seeing no choice, the Autobot took off. Due to the trees and the terrain, he couldn't safely transform but that wasn't going to stop him. The mech's smirk grew, mentally counting down he transformed and letting out a roar, chased after his prey. The hunt was on.
Moments later, the sound of something large and metallic could be heard as two figures made their way to the clearing. Strongarm and Sideswipe were shocked, confused but they quickly made their way to their fallen comrade. "Drift!"
"Where's Slipstream and Jetstorm?" Sideswipe asked, looking around he turned when he heard a low groan and raced over to what looked like an explosion went off and found both minicons partially buried. The red mech didn't hesitate in coming to their aid, relieved that they were online if damaged. "What happened?"
"It… was the prisoner…" the small red and gold minicon said, accepting the assistance.
"Where is—Master Drift!" Although injured, both buzzsaw minis attempted to rush to the aid of their master. Sideswipe had no smart-aft remarks when he helped them over, to which Drift was slowly regaining consciousness. As they told their teammates all they knew, Strongarm opened a comm link to the scrap yard. Moments later the swirling green energy of the Ground Bridge opened and the first bot to come out was Grimlock. He immediately beelined it to where Drift was slowly sitting up, quickly kneeling at his side. "Teamie! What happened? Who do I needa punch?" he asked in very loud concern.
"Ugh… must you bellow?" the former bounty hunter said even as he held a servo to his helm.
"Drift, what did happen? You said you found the escaped prisoner."
"Yes… it was, a Dinobot…" Letting his servo fall, he made to get up but he nearly fell when his stabilizers refused to bear his weight.
"H-Hey, you seriously don't think you're gonna go after a Dinobot in your condition?" Sideswipe asked even as he helped steady the other mech.
"I, will make him taste my steel for harming… my students." But when Drift took a step forward, he nearly dragged Sideswipe and Strongarm down with him.
"No bot is going after anybot!" the femme said, already lifted a digit to her comm link she patched through to the scrapyard. "Fixit, our escaped prisoner is a Dinobot."
"Another Dinobot?" The minicon frowned but pulling up the Alchemor's manifest, he began typing and brought up the information. "His name is Nightmare, and he's a Dinobot. But he's also the only bot that is not a Decepticon."
"Seriously? If he's not a 'Con, then what was he doing on a prisoner ship full of nothing but 'Cons?" the crimson roadster asked, leading him to the Groundbridge.
"I'm afraid I don't know, but it says he caused a great deal of property damage and assaulted several bots before being subdued, but they never could figure out why. They were going to run diagnostics when the ship landed and the stasis pods were unloaded."
Grimlock immediately went tense when he heard that there was another Dinobot in the area. It grew when he helped Drift to his peds, ready to carry him through the Groundbridge if necessary but without any warning he went over and bend down to pick up a discarded weapon. He knew it belonged to Bumblebee, but he could smell the other scent even stronger. A low growl was building in his chassis, feeling his priority changing, his code redirecting itself. There was another Dinobot close to his territory, and the lieutenant was still out there.
"G-Grimlock! Where are you going!?" But the Dinobot didn't even know he had transformed and immediately ran off, leaving his teammates and friends behind. He didn't know how, but he knew Bumblebee was in danger. He refused to let anything happen to him as soon as his spark pulsed in his chassis.
Bumblebee vented heavily, trying to keep an optic for this strange Dinobot, but for all his running around this felt like a very intense game of cat and mouse. And he was the mouse! The few times the Dinobot got the drop of him, he wouldn't attack him but it didn't take long for him to realize he had also been trying to herd him in a certain direction. Bee once more wished he had his Decepticon Hunter handy, or even his stand-issue blaster. Primus, why not ask for his trusty blaster from the war back! But that didn't matter as the other mech was too fast!
'Think! Okay, clearly can't outrun him. He could give Jazz some lessons in being stealthy. And he's after me, but why?' It wasn't like he could ask him that, but if he wanted him dead, he had more than one opportunity to do so. Taking a moment to cycle air through his system and calm it down, Bumblebee carefully peered around the tree, but so far there was nothing. He reached out with all his sensors, making sure that his EM field was pulled as tightly as he could, but there was no sign of this mysterious Dinobot.
Something didn't feel right. Slowly, making as little noise as possible, the Autobot moved around the tree and cautiously stopped out. He froze every time he heard a sound, making note if it was natural but he stopped and slowly lowered his servos, doorwings tilting in a way that meant he was confused. 'Where… did he go? It's not like he can fly! … can he?' Even though everything told him not to look up, Bumblebee did in fact, look up; the next thing he knew his peds were swept out from under him. Luckily, he was still on high alert as he managed to flip himself onto his peds, servos up and once more cursing to himself for not having a weapon. Unfortunately, even if he did have access to any of his weapons, he doubted they would have been of any use. Without warning he was repeatedly struck, claws scratching at his plating, knocking him off-balanced, but he was able to give back a bit of his own. He caught what he assumed was the Dinobot's tail and used his own momentum against him, hurling him into a tree, watching as the impact left its mark, but the Dinobot was on the move again.
"Light-bending, huh. Nice try, but you can't stay hidden forever," he called out. From what he knew, light-benders worked by bending the light around themselves, making them invisible which made sense. Once the sun went down, there would be very little light which would make that handy ability null.
"You're the first bot to figure that out," came the amused vocalizer but Bee couldn't pinpoint it no matter how hard he tried. "I knew you were perfect for what I have planned."
"And what exactly is that? Whatever game this is, I'm not interested." Bumblebee had to either buy himself some time for his team to pinpoint his location, or wait until the sun went down. Too bad his comm link was busted, but his signal was still active. 'C'mon bots, I could really use some back-up right now!' A sudden breeze made his doorwings twitch and he whirled, throwing his fist out but he didn't hit anything; something sharp pierced his shoulder pauldron, going through his armor plating and tearing into the vulnerable protoform beneath. The energon felt warm as the cables were bitten through, and his upper stabilizer was rapidly losing sensation. The lieutenant didn't hesitate to reach up and dug his digits as hard as he could into a seam, pulling as hard as he could. A snarl of pain forced the jaws to release him but something wrapped around his neck cables from behind before he was thrown through the air, repeatedly slammed into trees before being tossed to the ground. Even with his system glitching and warnings popping up in his HUD, processor running sluggish due to the lack of energon, the Autobot watched as the air seemed to ripple and the mech slowly revealed himself. Groaning he forced himself to sit up, but a servo grabbed him by his bruised neck cables and easily, lifted him up into the air. "… … … why?" he asked quietly, vocalizer hoarse.
"Why? To prove myself to you, my sweet bot," Nightmare chuckled as he kept a firm servo wrapped around the bot's neck cables, keeping enough pressure to keep him docile, but not so much that he could pass out on him. "That's the problem with you Cybertroniums, you think that our kind are nothing more than slightly advanced pet drones. I assure you, I am much more advanced." He leaned in so their faceplates were nearly touching, his crimson optics staring deeply into the energon blues. "According to our lore, we Dinobots are descendants of the mighty Predacons that once ruled Cybertron; I have skills you bots wish you had. As for how I found you…" He leaned in until his faceplates were practically buried in the side of Bumblebee's neck cables, and invented deeply with a low moan of pleasure. "It was your sweet scent. As though, you were leading me straight to you," he purred lowly.
Bee was—very confused! It wasn't due to the limited supply of fuel running through his cables to his processor (or leaking from his multiple injuries), but just when he was going to ask what the other mech meant he was hit with a surge of victory/desire/heavy arousal. It didn't help when he was thrown to the ground faceplates first, leaving him stunned but before he could process what to do next, the jaws once more bit down on his injury, causing more energon to flow freely. A warm frame pressed into his own, trapping him but the other servo palmed his yellow plating, curving over his hip and covered the plating between his stabilizers when Bumblebee heard what sounded like thunder. Then the frame was gone and he sagged to the ground, his servo clutching his shoulder to try and stop the energon from leaking anymore.
Grimlock made sure to keep himself between the Autobot commander and the other Dinobot, plating flared to make himself look bigger, denta bared. He watched as the other Dinobot called Nightmare scrambled to his peds while transforming into dino-mode as well, snarling at him. "Back off!" he growled threatening.
"So, you entered it as well," Nightmare chuckled lowly, tail stirring the leaves at their peds. "His scent is sweet, like honey."
"You're not touching him! He's not yours!"
"But he's not yours either, which means he's fair game." There was an almost feral look in the black Dinobot's optics as he peered at the still recovering mech, his EM field projecting his desires. Grimlock immediately snapped as he let out another insanely loud roar and charged.
Bumblebee still didn't understand what was going on, but he could only watch as the two Dinobots went after one another like it was a matter of life and death. He knew the former Decepticon was all brute force, and at times he forgot how strong he was, but he had never seen him act like this before. He looked like he was ready to tear the other mech apart!
Primal coding had completely taken over the two Dinobots, instincts forcing them to compete with the other and claim the highly sought after prize. It didn't matter if said prize may not want this, but before he could be claimed a winner had to be named. Nightmare growled lowly, knowing he was no match in brute strength, but he was determined to win claiming rights. Activating his build-in mod, the light seemed to ripple and he was gone from sight.
In a non-primal state, Grimlock would have been confused and no doubt awed by such an awesome ability, but instead it just made him more furious. "Come out and fight me like a Dinobot!" he demanded angrily.
"But I am, I'm fighting my way."
"G-Grim… be careful… he's too fast…" bumblebee tried to warn him, forcing himself to stand but he had to lean heavily against a tree. His self-repair was trying desperately to help his injuries but if he didn't get proper care soon, he was afraid he wasn't gonna make it.
Grimlock growled deeply and lowly, inventing the air but all he could smell was Bumblebee's sweet scent. He moved closer to the Autobot, protecting him from his unseen enemy but he saw the branches rustle too late as a sudden weight landed heavily on his backplates. It wasn't enough to knock him down, but the razor sharps claws and denta tearing at his plating made him roar out in pain. He tried reaching out to grab at the other Dinobot but unable to see and unable to reach behind him, left him at a severe disadvantage.
"Grimlock!" Bee couldn't just sit on his bumper while his friend was getting beaten by some insane mech! He just wished he had something to use—a sudden glint of metal caught his optic and he was so relieved to see it was a Decepticon Hunter. HIS Decepticon Hunter! Bumblebee forced himself to get it, not bothering with thinking about how it got here but he dismayed to find out that he couldn't hold it with his upper stabilizer slowly losing its motor functions. Still, he had to do something! Realization came to him as the weapon obeyed the neural command and holding it up with his good servo, took careful aim, and fired.
Nightmare snarled as he was hit, the blast scorching his plating. He realized it was the sweet mech but before he could decide on how to deal with him, he felt a crushing pain in his tail followed by a powerful tug that ripped him off the t-rex's backside. He realized much too late that his light-bender ability failed, shutting down as he was thrown into a tree, wood splinting at it broke in half but before he could get his bearings straight there was a tremendous roar and he felt a crushing weight on his frame. His systems couldn't take it anymore and he went offline in an attempt to preserve his own spark. He had lost.
Having sensed that he had won, the Dinobot known as Grimlock released a roar that seemed to shake the very sky itself. No doubt it could be heard from miles all around but it didn't matter; he had won the fight, and in doing so had won the right and privilege to claim.
Bumblebee was in so much pain, the moment his Deception Hunter fell from his digits it reverted to its original state. He wanted to ask if his friend was alright but he watched as the Dinobot slowly made his way over. His optics were glowing so brightly but he wasn't responding to his designation, and he was still in dino-mode. The look he was giving him, it made him wary but when he tried to move his sensory net was loudly protesting, making him grip his shoulder pauldron tighter, hissing sharply in pain and discomfort.
The Dinobot could smell something bitter in the air, coming from the other bot. Sniffing he followed it, growling lowly when the yellow mech made a pained sound. He was hurt. He leaned in closer, noting the servo covering the leaking injury. He growled when he could still smell the other Dinobot on this one, but he had won. Leaning even closer, Grimlock licked at the leaking fluids, ignoring the startled yelp. He felt servos try to push him away, but he ignored them and continued licking, trying to clean the injury.
The Autobot felt like his processor had short-circuited, that this was not happening but the tingling sensation was just enough to ground him. He kept trying to push the large helm away, but the Dinobot continued tending to him. It was strange, but it was also—kinda nice? "G-Grim… I'm okay, you don't… stop, please…" he quietly begged, once more pushing at the big helm but this time, the larger bot listened and listened his helm. He wanted to move, to get up and regroup with the others, to comm for help and a GroundBridge, but his HUD was faintly glowing red.
WARNING. Energon levels critical. Entering emergency stasis.
"No… Grim… lock…" He tried to warn the other mech, to have him get help, but his optics grew dim then went dark. His frame went limp as his systems completely shut down.
For what felt like the hundredth time, Grimlock looked over at the yellow mech. The primal coding was silent in the back of his processor, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before it refused to wait. He had time before his cycle reached its peak, but thankfully he could ignore it. He still wanted to comm the others so they could help, but having anybot else near them made him growl threateningly.
'They're my friends. They only wanna help.'
'No. I won. He's mine, no bot else!'
He growled, holding his helm with his servo but a low moan made him freeze. The Dinobot quickly made his way to the bot and watched as his optics flickered online. They weren't their bright blue hue, but they were staring up at him. "Bee…" He wanted to ask if he was okay, but he glanced at the make-shift repair job he had done on the shoulder pauldron.
"… Grim…?" Bumblebee was still feeling depleted, weak and more than a bit confused but he didn't fight it as his helm was carefully lifted and a cube of energon was held up to his derma plating. He didn't need to be told as he sipped at it, drinking what he could. Once the cube was pulled back, his helm was gently set down and his optics slowly offlined. He should be wary, having seen a violent side of a gentle-sparked Dinobot he called a friend, but instead he felt safe, and protected.
The large mech looked down at the sleeping mech. Even in recharge he was still tense but now it was his turn to keep watch over him, to make sure he was safe and protected. Making sure the Autobot was comfortable as possible, Grimlock made sure the cave was safe and secure but he still had to check outside. Yes, he had won, but that didn't always mean that the loser had to accept that. A low growl vibrated in his chassis, thinking that he should have made sure the one called Nightmare was offline for good, but if he did try to show his faceplates he would make him regret it instantly. Part of his processor fought the urge as he transformed into his dino-mode, this form better suited to protect Bumblebee, but he didn't forget the way he looked at him in hesitation and fear.
'… I don't want him to be afraid…' He wanted him to smile at him, to praise him, to rely on him outside the battlefield. He wanted Bee to love him… like he did. He vented deeply, casting one last look at the yellow mech, he walked out of the cave. He wanted to make sure the area was safe and, if he was lucky, vent a bit by smashing something.
Bumblebee onlined with a strangled gasp, air trapping in his vents as he sat up quickly. His injury lighting up in pain at the sudden movement, optics cycled wide and scanning the area. He didn't recognize anything, but as the last vestiges of his recharge faded, his processor began to clear. He slowly recalled the events from earlier in the cycle to right now. Lowering his servos (once more lamenting the loss of his blasters), he hissed as he grabbed his still healing shoulder pauldron.
"… where…?" he looked around the cave, seeing the half-empty cube off to the side and saw that he was laying in, a nest? The scent of pine needles was noticeable as he slowly forced himself to stand, the tarp falling away. Bumblebee quickly threw out a servo to catch himself before falling over, trying to get his stabilizers to hold him up before he took a careful step forward. He didn't know where he was, or where Grim went, but he had to comm the others. Unfortunately, the cave was blocking his signal so he had no choice but to find a better area of reception.
"This… is not, my day…" Bee told himself, feeling like it was taking him forever to reach the entrance but just before he could step outside a hulking figure seemed to appear out of nowhere, startling the Autobot that he quickly pulled back. Once more his servo came up, and once more the lieutenant cursed himself for not having his old weapons installed. "Grim-Grimlock?!" Sure enough, it was the Dinobot, optics glowing brightly. "You… you nearly gave me a spark-attack, big guy."
"…" The larger mech didn't say anything, but he walked into the cave, forcing the other mech to slowly walk backwards, optics never leaving his.
"You move pretty quietly, I mean, I never heard you!" Something felt, not wrong but not right. For each step Bumblebee took back, the Dinobot followed it with one of his own. By the time Bee realized what was going on, it was too late. "G-Grim… what are you—whoa! Wait, waitaklick! Grimlock!"
The mechanical t-rex always liked hearing the Autobot say his designation, even when he was getting after him for a simple little mistake; he would never get tired of listening to him. The Dinobot moved in closer, transforming into bot mode just in time to catch the servos in his own when they tried to keep him away and pushed the other mech back until he had him pinned to the back of the cave with his larger frame. He growled lowly as he stared down at the other mech, his primitive code demanding him to state his claim now. He had earned it! But…
"Grimlock?"
He couldn't… not like this.
Swallowing the growl that threaten to slip free, the Dinobot released the servos and took a step back. He took another, and another until he was an upper-stabilizer's length away from touching him. He wanted to give him more space, but the primal coding refused and locked him in place. "I'm sorry, Bee… this, wasn't to happen this way," he forced the words out, digits clenching and unclenching.
"… I don't understand. What's going on with you?"
"… did that other Dinobot, say anything to you? Like, why he was chasing ya?"
"I-I think so. He said something about proving himself, and he kept talking about my scent…" Bumblebee frowned, trying to rack his processor for everything he had told him. "He also said something about Predacons and how we, um Cybertroniums, don't know about Dinobots. I don't know, he wasn't making a lotta sense."
"I wish, I coulda told you sooner but… I wasn't sure how you'd take it." Looking away, the green and black mech looked away before turning to silently sit on the ground, staring off as he continued his explanation. "Dinobots, are descendent from Predacons. Don't ask me how, but it kinda makes sense. We have this really old coding, it kinda makes us who we are, like smashing things. But there's a certain time that really messes with our systems." He paused, wondering if he should continue but looked up when the yellow mech silently sat down next to him.
"Does this have anything to do with the other Dinobot?" Bee asked softly.
"Kinda. I think, the reason he was on the prison ship, was because he got caught during his heat cycle. But since a lotta bots don't really know about Dinobots, I guess they just figured to lock him away and figure it out later," Grim said with a shrug.
"Heat cycle?" Blue optics widen as the realization hit. It now made sense, how Nightmare seemed to be playing with him, focusing on him, and complimenting his scent. Then there was Grimlock, challenging him to fight, nearly offlining him in the process. "The fighting… was over me?" A hesitant nod. "W-Why?"
"Cuz you're the only bot who ever treated me like a mech and not a monster. Sure you get mad, and I accidentally break stuff, but you don't make mean jokes or turn me away. You're also smart, you kick aft, you're perfect!" Just without looking at him he could tell the other bot's temperature was increasing.
"Oh." Oh Primus, that sounded so lame! But Bumblebee really wasn't sure what to say. On one servo he was very confused, upset, angry really, worried, and still recovering. But on the other servo Grimlock came to his rescue. Sure, he was kinda scared after witnessing what he was capable of, but he still stopped and explained what was going on. In so many words. "How long does this heat last?"
"Depends. Last one lasted I think… a deca-cycle?" That sounded about right, but if he was being honest it felt much longer than that.
"I see." Part of him wanted to ask him if he spent it alone or with a partner, but Bumblebee didn't want to sound invasive. His digits traced the still healing welds, sensors prickling at the sensitivity. "Did you repair me?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm no Fixit, but I couldn't let you keep leaking," he said in a small tone. A tone he usually used when he wasn't sure what he did was acceptable or not.
"Thanks, Grim. I really mean it… and, for saving me as well." He blinked when he heard a soft rumble only to realize it was coming from the other mech. It made him smile as his frame unintentionally leaned into the other frame, seeking the warmth he was releasing. "I'm glad you're here."
Grimlock wasn't sure how any of this was suppose to go, but his coding was purring at the feel of the other bot next to him, their plating touching. Slowly, he lifted his upper stabilizer and wrapped it around the smaller mech, mindful of his doorwings. When he didn't shrug it off, he pulled the lieutenant as close as he could, and just held him. "'m sorry for draggin' you into this, Bee… shoulda said somethin' earlier but…" The servo tightened ever so slightly before relaxing. "Nevermind."
"But what?" When the Dinobot didn't say anything, Bumblebee looked up at him, his EM field calm and slightly curious. "You can tell me, big guy."
"Didn't say anything 'cuz… was afraid you were gonna hate me, or somethin'…"
"Grim…" Even though his EM field was pulled in tightly, the Autobot could tell he had been hurt before in the past. That made him anger, completely pissed off that everybot kept judging others by their altmode. Processor made up, Bumblebee slowly sat up and moved until he was straddling the Dinobot's lap. He knew he was blushing by the way his faceplates were heating up, but as he reached up to gently take the equally blushing faceplates in his servos, he found that it made the former Decepticon kinda cute. "Grim… let me help you, like you helped me."
"B-Bee…?" Wait, were his audios not working or did his crush say what he thought he said? His servos shook as they settled on the slender waist, ready to let go when all he wanted to do was pull him closer. "You don't have to…"
"I want to, Grim… I really want this… I want you…" Even as he sat up, the servos never let go but instead gently pulled him down so he could kiss the other mech. Shock/Surprise flared from the EM field but neither of the two bots pulled away, the kiss slowly deepening, letting their fields mingle with one another's.
The Dinobot couldn't believe this was happening, he was finally going to prove himself to his chosen mate. Everything about Bumblebee was what he had been looking for since his first heat. His primitive coding was demanding he stake his claim now; with the appearance of another Dinobot who was also in the mist of his own heat cycle it only meant he was after the same prize. No, the Autobot was his and he was not going to lose him. Not now, not ever.
Said Autobot wasn't going to lie and say he understood what was going on, but the pleasure he was experiencing was incredible! He wasn't sealed, but none of his (few) past partners ever made him feel this way. Pleasure assaulted his systems, making him crave and beg for more. While not a Beastformer or descendent from the fabled Predacons, Bee's own coding was reacting to his soon-to-be-mate's.
Yes, Grimlock was his mate as much as he was his. It was unfortunate that another bot refused to accept such claims.
"For the last time, we need to wait at the scrap yard!" Sideswipe yelled, clearly frustrated.
"And I'm telling you we need to look for the lieutenant!" Strongarm argued back, just as frustrated. "It's been well over a full solar-cycle and protocol states that all attempts must be made when an officer has been inactive for a full solar cycle. And that does mean we wait for him to come back! What if he's hurt?"
"Then he woulda commed us! And if that's the case, what about Grimlock? He took off as soon as we went to get Drift!"
"Right now our focus on the lieutenant. Now, are you going to help me look or are you going to just stand there and not help me look?!"
"Fine! But that still doesn't mean you're in charge!" The crimson mech watched as the young Enforcer kept shouting for their leader's designation but he was worried about Bumblebee as well. Afterall, the mech was the one bot that really gave him a chance even if he did tend to suck the fun outta everything. 'Bee's fine. I mean, he took down Megatron! So, he's fine!' but why was he having a hard time believing it?
Strongarm felt like everything was going wrong. Yes, she would have loved to have been able to lead the team on a mission, but not when the mission was to locate the missing lieutenant. "Lieutenant! Can you hear me?" she called out but there was still no answer. She was trying not to think about the worse case scenario, or what they could possibly find, but she froze when she heard something very peculiar. She frowned only to stumble when someone ran into her from behind. "Shh!"
"You 'shh'! And don't stop like that without any warning!" the young mech snapped.
"I said, shh! I hear something!" That made him shut up instantly. Trying to focus on the sounds Strongarm crept forward, sticking with the shadows but the closer she was getting the louder the sounds were becoming. She paused when she heard something strange. "What is that?" she asked herself quietly.
Sideswipe frowned when he heard the sound his optics cycled wide. "That sounded—that's Grimlock! I recognize that roar anywhere!"
"Then, the lieutenant could be with him!" Without warning the femme began running towards the direction, his teammate following behind him. As they were running, they could see evidence of a fight from broken branches/trees, upturned earth, and paint transfers along the way. Stumbling into a small clearing, they watched as the two Dinobots were trying to tear the plating off one another. Energon was leaking, the fluorescent fluids staining the ground, plating was either dented or torn, but both were focused solely on one another. However, before the two could think about joining in to assist, or stand there and watch, a flash of yellow was seen.
"Lieutenant!" Strong shouted as she immediately raced over to the Autobot with Sideswipe right behind her.
"Strongarm. Sideswipe. I'm glad to see you both, but not right now." His weld had been ripped, his upper stabilizer coated in energon, a doorwing was twisted out of joint, and he was listing slightly to the side.
"What the scrud happened to you?" Sideswipe asked, unsure how to help without harming his leader/friend. "Did that Dinobot do this?"
"Let's just say, don't try to come between two Dinobots. Ever." What Bee neglected to say was that Nightmare had not taken to losing lightly, having tracked them down, he interrupted their time together and challenged Grimlock to another fight. The mistake was Bumblebee had been glitched enough to get involved. The moment Nightmare drew energon, his mate's optics flashed red and he had been in rage mode ever since.
"We need to get you to Fixit, sir." Being the stronger of the trip right now, Strongarm held one of the lieutenant's upper stabilizers over his pauldrons and her own servo around his waist, holding him up. "Sideswipe, call for a GroundBridge."
"What? But we gotta help Grimlock!" he argued, looking at the fighting only to yelp and immediately crouch as a tree went flying over his frame, crashing to the ground.
"I'm gonna rip out your spark!"
"I'll make you watch as I show him what a REAL Dinobot can do!"
"Like Pitt you will!" Grimlock tackled Nightmare with a frame rattling crash, claws digging into seams and pulled at plating. The sound of metal tearing made all the bots flinch but no one argued as the swirling green energy of a GroundBridge opened and the trio stumbled in.
In the end, the capture of the not-a-Decepticon-but-still-an-escaped-prisoner-Dinobot happened, but it was only discovered when Grimlock arrived at the scrapyard, battered, and bang up like he had fought every prisoner aboard the Alchemor, twice. He proudly dumped Nightmare on the ground, the mech looking just as battered as their friend but didn't fight it as he was placed in a stasis pod. Only then did the Dinobot collapse, systems falling into stasis in order to recover. This is what found Bumblebee, sitting at his mate's side some time later, watching over him.
He reached up and gently touched the almost healed marks on his neck cables. Thankfully the claiming bite wasn't too noticeable, and luckily his plating was matte black, to unless took a very close look they wouldn't see it. He hissed when his digits brushed over the sensitive marks on his pauldrons.
'Twice. What is it with the Dinobot and biting me in the same spot.' Grimlock had taken that as an insult and a challenge. And somehow, Bumblebee thought he knew what was going on and tried to help his mate. He was lucky he wasn't offlined in the process.
A low groan pulled him out of his processor and he watched as thick, clawed digits twitched. Optics opened and slowly began to lighten. They looked around confused but when they focus on him, a small smile was beginning to form. "Hey Bee…"
"Hey Grim… how do you feel?" he asked with a gentle smile.
"Like I went twelve rounds with every 'Con we fought so far," he murmured, slowly reaching with his servo to rub at his aching helm. He blinked and raised the servo to look at the other bot. "Did I win?"
Bumblebee couldn't help but chuckle softly and took the large servo in his own, giving it an affection squeeze. "Yeah, you won, big guy."
"I'm glad. Show that's Dinobot who king, too."
"Yeah, you did. You should get some rest, Grimlock. I'll let the others know to keep quiet." The lieutenant made to get up but when he tried to pull his servo away, he found he couldn't. The digits tightened over his but the Dinobot didn't say anything. Slowly, he sat back down and waited. "… you okay, Grim?"
"… 'm sorry, about earlier. But, 'm not sorry…" Tilting his helm to the side, he released the servo and reached out to gently touch the bite mark he had given Bee earlier. He let out a pleased rumble when his mate leaned into his touch, eager to stake his claim once more but it was taking all he had not to slip back into recharge.
"Me too, big guy." Holding the servo, Bumblebee stood and leaned over to give him mate a kiss. "You just recharge, and once you're better, we can continue where we left off." The lieutenant wasn't sure how long he could keep the secret that he and the Dinibot were mates, or how they would react, but he really did care about him and he knew he cared about him just as much.
Author's Notes: Okay, I have been sitting on this for so freaking long, I was afraid I was never going to finish it! I don't know why, but I feel like I'm like hitting a wall. Then I ended up rewriting the smut so many times but nothing was making sense until finally (freaking FINALLY!) I just sat my butt down and started typing. So, there!
In all seriousness though, I think what made me finally sit down and write is the fact that I tested positive for damn covid. Again. Yeah, I took every damn vaccine and I get the damn virus more than once. I'm going stir crazy here!
KittyKatShMeow on AO3 wanted Grimlock and Bee but with an element of claiming. Well, I played with the idea and decided to bring in an OC of mine. Nightmare has been one of my favorite OCs where he changes to adapt to just about every situation I put him in. And in case anyone asks, his dino-mode is based on the indominus raptor from Jurassic Park franchise. For his bot-mode I got ideas from the talented art of Matt Frank's raptoricons, and yes maybe a bit of Megatron from Beast Wars. It was, fun when I started getting my flow again and now, I can cross this off my list! My loyal and wonderful reviewers, I hope you enjoy this and I apologize for my absentee. So, until next time. Happy reading!
Next chapter: MiragexBumblebee